Babassu Body Cream – Recipe

Hello there! 😀

I did make the new face cream of which I was talking about in the last post but I will post that recipe a little later: I want to test it first and be able to give you the review as well.

[IF YOU ARE NEW here, you might want to check the theory of how to make “as close as professional” creams at home 😀 you can do it HERE at the site index! And don’t be scared thinking “I cannot do it”, “it is too complicated” because everything looks complicated before you learn it 😀 so grit your teeth for a while and enjoy later 😉 On the same page there is also a link to my post where I show you where you can buy cosmetic ingredients online! 😀 ]

The recipe of today will be of a BODY CREAM, made with a new (to this blog) emulsifier! 😀
Usually in body creams there is not too much need for active ingredients (or this, however, is my opinion) because it is already good enough if we have the consistency of applying the cream everyday 😉 however I choose to add in this cream precious fats like the Babassu oil and Shea Butter.

Are you ready for the recipe??? 😀

RECIPE:
Phase A:
Water to 100 (HERE the explanation)
Glycerin – 5
Xanthan Gum (non transparent kind) – 0.2 – you can use transparent kind if you have that one.
Carbopol Ultrez 21 – 0.4

Phase B:
Methil Glucose Distearate – 3.5 (this is the new emulsifier I am using in this cream. The feel is slightly lighter than the methyl glucose sesquistearate so I am thinking I will try this emulsifier for face creams as well. The percentage of use is slightly higher than MGS so 3.5 to 4% will do)
Cetyl Alcohol – 0.8
Cetyl Palmitate – 0.7
Shea Butter – 6
Babassu Oil – 8
Rose hip Oil – 3 (if you have other oils you can substitute these with what you have as long as you bear in mind the density of the oils I am using: to substitute properly you should use oils with similar density) 😉
Dicaprylyl Ether – 3 (light synthetic oil which will help having a dry feel in the cream)

Phase C:
Hydrolized Oat Proteins – 3 (you can substitute this with any hydrolyzed proteins like for example silk, grains, milk…)
Allantoin – 0.4 (I like allantoin and I add it in close to any cream I make: it has soothing properties, it is not expensive and it has to be used at a very small percentage or it doesn’t disperse properly in the cream. It used to be difficult to disperse it before… until I found out that it “melts” in hydrolyzed proteins… this is why I always associate allantoin and hydrolyzed proteins together! 😉 However if you don’t have it do not despair: it is not necessary!)
Preservative (at the percentage which the specific preservative which you are using requires)
Fragrance Oil – few drops

Straight to the HOW TO!

1) You measure glycerin and xanthan gum:

here it was not mixed yet.
You mix it and add a little amount of water to it (let’s say 10 gr).

2) You measure the Carbopol Ultrez 21 and set it aside.
You measure the remaining water in a big becher (you just used 10 gr in the previous step, so you have to consider it 😉 )
You pour the Carbopol on top of the water and let it rest WITHOUT MIXING.

as you can see the powder seems to sit on top of the water.
It will hydrate slowly and if you try to mix with a spatula to make it faster… the Carbomer will actually stick to your spatula without hydrating. So let it be for a while and you will see that it will change and become like this:

If you look closely you can see that it is not yet a gel but it is still water with inside little whitish pieces: that’s how it is supposed to look like (just remember that Carbopol Ultrez 21 becomes gel at pH 5 precisely).

3) Measure the Phase B and heat it up together with the water and carbopol (don’t worry: we will add the xanthan gel very soon)

4) Measure the temperature. When they both reach approx 70°C, add the xanthan gel to the water:

5) After having checked the temperature (do not skip this!!! 😀 I know it is very tempting to think that “it looks hot enough” but the thing is that if your temperature is too low, the cream won’t emulsify well enough and after a few days the oils will start coming on the surface of the cream, so why to risk 😉 ) take them off from fire and pour the Phase B into the Phase A.
You should pour it little by little while stirring or (even better) already mixing with the immersion mixer.
In order to take the picture I had to stop stirring for a moment… but YOU DON’T DO THAT!!! 😀 😀 😀

This is the most critical part so pay attention!

6) Now it’s time for the immersion mixer! 😀
You will see that it will immediately become white but it will still be very liquid compared to the cream you were dreaming about:

But do not despair 😀 just keep mixing with the immersion mixer until everything looks well emulsified: the cream will start thickening up once it cools down and not before! 😉
I will teach you a little trick on finding out wether your cream is well emulsified or not 🙂 maybe I will make a post about it 🙂

7) Now that it looks well emulsified IT IS NOT FINISHED! In fact if you let it rest when it is still hot… it will probably separate again! In order to keep emulsified you will have to stir the cream until it is cooled down. This might take 30 minutes but you can always place the becher in cold water so it will cool down faster (I do that all the time 😀 ).

As you can see it already looks a little bit thick… but that’s nothing yet! 😀

8) Measure and add the Phase C:

9) Stir gently again until the Phase C is homogeneously melted in the cream. Check the pH and adjust it to 5.5 (mine was already 5.5).

NOW… if the cream is really cooled down you COULD pour it in a jar.
I don’t suggest you to do so: the Cetyl alcohol and the Cetyl palmitate (the thickening agents) will keep thickening your cream for the next hours and actually for the next couple of days.
When making a cream containing these two ingredients I always prefere to leave the cream in the becher for a couple of days (obviously covered with plastic wrap and kept in a safe place) so that I can stir it every now and then: in fact if you pour it in the jar immediately after you make it, the cream will end up looking a little weird 😀 (I don’t know how to explain this any better… you will know it if you do it 😀 ).

If you wait, instead, it will look this cool: soft and smooth 😀 😀 😀

For more recipes click HERE
To learn how to formulate cosmetics click HERE
For a list of online cosmetic ingredients suppliers click HERE

Hope you enjoyed it! 😀
Let me know if you try making it or if you have any question! 😀
Have a great day!!!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

20 thoughts on “Babassu Body Cream – Recipe”

Lauren says:

14/02/2016 at 05:32

How do you check the ph?

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1. It's all in my hands says:
  
  14/02/2016 at 06:20
  
  Hi Lauren.
  There are strips to test the pH as well as tools (usually more precise).
  If you use the strips, buy those which are the most accurate: each strip has 4 different sections that react differently.
  
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Malliebe says:

05/08/2016 at 16:25

What unit of measurement are you using in your recipe? Grams? Milliliters? Water to 100 what? 5 what of glycerin? And so on. Seems like some are written as percentages but it is very confusing to follow this recipe without having those specifics. Please explain.

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1. It's all in my hands says:
  
  06/08/2016 at 06:16
  
  You can look at it as percentages or grams or kilograms or milligrams… as long as it is a weight measurement and it keeps the proportions, nothing changes 😉
  
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Christina says:

16/05/2018 at 10:51

I really want to try to make your body cream! I have checked the list ingredients you have used in all 3 body cream recipes, turns out I can’t get most emulsifiers and most water phase ingredients! I have checked out your post on suppliers, googled, and checked eBay. Most DIY supply shops are only interested in selling ‘natural ingredients’, so frustrating!!

So far I can’t find Carbopol Ultrez 21, Methil Glucose Distearate, Cetyl Palmitate, Dicaprylyl Ether, Hydrolized Oat Proteins (I did see Hydrolized Oat, are they the same thing?). Is it possible to replace them or do you know any international sellers selling them for a reasonable price and shipping charge (I’m located in Australia)?

And what preservative do you use? So far I found no Australian DIY shops selling those, all I can find are common wax and oils.

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1. It's all in my hands says:
  
  16/05/2018 at 11:08
  
  Hello Christina!
  You don’t have to strictly stick to my emulsifiers! There are many different emulsifiers you could use, what is going to change is the texture of the cream but that’s ok.
  Since you are just beginning, it is good to try different emulsifiers!
  Also, to be honest, I didn’t like working with methyl glucose DISTEARATE, while I really love methyl glucose sesquistearate! Usually it is sold under the short form of MGS!
  If something is called “hydrolyzed oat”, it should be proteins indeed… But do check the INCI of it! However, you can substitute it with close to ANY other hydrolyzed protein (rice, soy, grain… There are so many on the market nowadays!).
  
  Sorry I don’t know which sell to Australia. I know most websites I wrote DO ship worldwide, but it might be really expensive once it reaches you.
  Did you check Bulkactives? It should be a little closer to you and it used to have some ingredients I could only dream of (but if I remember right it wasn’t very cheap).
  Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful!
  
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  1. Christina says:
    
    16/05/2018 at 11:20
    
    Thank you very much for the detailed reply. It would be much more helpful for me to get both of the trade name and product name as they can be confusing! Another thing I need to learn is preservative, I wonder what preservative do you use? Most Australian DIY shops don’t seem to sell them 😦
    
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  2. It's all in my hands says:
    
    16/05/2018 at 12:02
    
    I don’t write the trade name cause each company/reseller can change it and use their own trade name so you ALWAYS have to check the INCI of a product.
    I make you an example: sometimes I am really tempted to buy active ingredients that primise to change the skin (I am ALWAYS tempted), however, once I read the INCI all my hopes go down and I am ok at not purchasing, cause sometimes these ingredients are called “super hydration booster” or “pores minimizer” and what they are is nothing else but whater, glycerin and some laughable amount of some plant extract.
    So always always always learn to check the INCI before you check anything else! 😉 You will save a lot of money too!!!
    
    Right now for creams the preservative I use is: INCI: “phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin” these two come already combined in the preservative I buy. No idea if it is easy to purchase for you though, but check makincosmetics website, she has posted a very interesting list of preservatives which are good to use and those which are not good. I have promised a post about preservatives but I would most likely write close to what she has, so you can go ahead and read there 🙂
    
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  3. Christina says:
    
    17/05/2018 at 00:57
    
    Totally agree, that’s also the reason I don’t follow new lines/products. I don’t know if you are still buying skincare, but I only buy skincare from discount websites where I can get 40%-60% (sometimes could be even more!) off retail prices. At this point, I don’t really see myself making more than lip scrub, lip balm, and maybe body cream if I can get everything I needed.
    
    I didn’t know what INCI is till very recently, I’d better check it out!
    
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  4. It's all in my hands says:
    
    18/05/2018 at 09:06
    
    I still purchase but not expensive creams, I purchase when I find a good smell that I cannot find myself, or when I want a cream with a texture I am interested in 🙂 I just don’t spend too much on cosmetics anymore
    
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Ella says:

25/07/2018 at 19:14

So I used this emulsifier for my body cream, love the feel but I think its quite soft as a body cream but makes an awesome face cream. What other emulsifier would u advice for a body lotion or emulsified body butter. Thank you and keep up the good work.

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1. It's all in my hands says:
  
  25/07/2018 at 19:21
  
  The emulsifier makes part of the feel, but a bigger role is made by your “grease fall”. You might want to increase butters and oils for a richer cream and increase the emulsifier accordingly.
  
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Ella says:

25/07/2018 at 20:35

Please i need your expert advice on this please.. If using an AHA and BHA toner on the face, can i still use a Niacinamide cream on the face after or ………….. I ask because both are of different ph but in different product. Would they interfere on the skin?Thanks

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1. It's all in my hands says:
  
  25/07/2018 at 21:05
  
  I wouldn’t risk it! Niacinamide could get nasty on your skin 😉
  
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Ella says:

25/07/2018 at 21:19

Thank you so much.Glad i asked. What would be your advice.

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1. Ella says:
  
  26/07/2018 at 06:52
  
  Hello , i dont know if my reply came through yesterday but what would be your Advice of cream to make after using AHA and BHA toner. Thank you
  
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  1. It's all in my hands says:
    
    26/07/2018 at 07:30
    
    One without niacinamide or any ingredient that will become nasty at low pH! 😉
    
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Ella says:

26/07/2018 at 08:06

Thank you

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Miruna says:

19/06/2019 at 22:59

Hi, I was looking for an example of how you use carbomer in a lotion or cream and this is the only formulation I found that contains it. May I ask, when you use carbomer do you not need to neutralise it with an alcaline solution for it to transform into a gel? Or is that not necessary when it’s part of a lotion like this one? Thank you.

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1. It's all in my hands says:
  
  09/07/2019 at 19:57
  
  This carbomer is good at 5.5 so you will need to adjust the pH to make the gel form.
  You have two choices:
  form the gel when you add the carbomer to the water
  OR
  form it when you have already emulsified as well (in this case you have to disperse the carbomer in water first and let it hydrate as much as possible).
  The first option forms a beautiful gel BUT once you add other ingredients there is the risk of ruining the gel by adding something which changes the pH.
  The second option is what I do here, adjusting the pH at the end helps stabilizing the formula. You won’t see the beautiful carbomer gel, but there is less risk of spoiling the formula.
  
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